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Richmond Mine

Past Producer in Humboldt county in Nevada, United States with commodities Tungsten, Silver, Iron, Lead, Zinc, Copper, Molybdenum
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10045090
MRDS ID M232750
Record type Site
Current site name Richmond Mine
Alternate or previous names Louisa Patent, NBMG Sample Site 2617

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -117.29263, 41.20822 (WGS84)
Elevation 2012
Relative position 40 MILES NE OF WINNEMUCCA
(click for info)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Nevada Humboldt

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Mount Diablo 039N;038N 042E;042E 31;;06 Nevada

Comments on the location information

  • SW 1/4 SEC. 31

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Tungsten Primary
Silver Secondary
Iron Tertiary
Lead Tertiary
Zinc Tertiary
Copper Tertiary
Molybdenum Tertiary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Chalcopyrite Ore
Galena Ore
Pyrite Ore
Scheelite Ore
Sphalerite Ore
Calcite Gangue
Epidote Gangue
Garnet Gangue
Quartz Gangue

Analytical data

Result 0.2% TO 0.5% WO3 UP TO 1 TO 8% WO3. SAMPLE 2617 OF GARNET-DIOPSIDE-QUARTZ SKARN WITH MINOR SCHEELITE AND CLOTS OF PYRITE, CONTAINS 20 % FE, 3 % MG, -0.15 % TI, +5000 PPM MN, 30 PPM AG, 20 PPM B, 500 PPM BA, 2 PP-M BE, 300 PPM BI, 10 PPM CO, 10 PPM CR, 500 PPM CU, 100 PPM MO-, 15 PPM NI, 1000 PPM PB, 70 PPM SN, 150 PPM SR, 500 PPM V, 50-0 PPM W, 10 PPM Y, 1000 PPM ZN.

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code 42
USGS model code 14a
Deposit model name W skarn

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Associated
    Rock type Plutonic Rock > Mafic Intrusive Rock > Diorite
    Rock unit name Osgood Mtns. Stock
    Rock description Osgood Mtns. Stock
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cretaceous
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Cambrian
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Metamorphic Rock > Hornfels
    Rock unit name Preble Formation
    Rock description Preble Formation
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Argillite
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate > Limestone

Nearby scientific data

(1) -117.29263, 41.20822
ListMap

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Strike N75E
    Dip 90

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Tactite At Granodiorite-Sedimentary Contact

Comments on the geologic information

  • TACTITE BODIES ARE TABULAR, PARALLELLING THE GRANODIORITE CONTACT, AND MOSTLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE BEDDING OF THE LIMESTONE. QUARTZ CARRYING SOME ARGENTIFEROUS GALENA AND CONSIDERABLE SCHEELITE OCCURRING ON THE LIMESTONE SIDE OF THE GRANODIORITE CONTACT.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Past Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Small
Significant No
Discovery year 1874
Year of first production 1942
Year of last production 1954

Mining district

District name Potosi District; Getchell District

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Union Carbide
  • Type Owner
    Owner Union Carbide
    First year 1984

Production statistics

  • Year 1943
    Period 1942-1943
    Material ORE
    Accuracy Estimate
    Description Cp_Grade: ^Ave. 0.5% Wo3
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major Wo3 Ore Tungsten Tungsten 1wt-pct

Comments on the workings information

  • OPEN PIT ON EAST OREBODY; AT ALTITUDE OF 120 FT BELOW THE FLOOR OF THIS PIT, A 350-FT CROSSCUT ADIT WAS DRIVEN TO -THE CONTACT AND A DRIFT WAS DRIVEN 225 FT NE ALONG THE CONTACT-. A SHORT SUBLEVEL, REACHED BY A VERTICAL RAISE FROM THE ADIT,- WAS DRIVEN AT AN ALTITUDE 65 FT ABOVE THE ADIT, AND ORE WAS S-TOPED ABOVE. THE WEST TACTITE BODY WAS PROSPECTED BY 3 SHORT A-DITS, NUMEROUS TRENCHES AND AN OPEN PIT.

Comments on development

  • FIRST MINERAL DISCOVERY IN THE OSGOOD RANGE WAS MADE ON THE WESTERN PART OF THE RICHMOND SKARN IN 1874. THE DISTRI-CT WAS FIRST NAMED CRYSTAL AND THE ORIGINAL CLAIM WAS THE LOUI-SA. FIRST WORK WAS FOR SILVER IN EARLY 1900'S; LATER BECAME TH-E MOST IMPORTANT TUNGSTEN PRODUCER ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE OSG-OOD STOCK. IN 1942-43, THE PROPERTY WAS LEASED TO W. C. RIGG, -WHO MINED ABOUT 31500 TONS OF ORE FROM OPEN PITS AND UNDERGROU-ND WORKINGS, WHICH WAS TRUCKED TO THE GETCHELL MILL. IN 1954, -THE PROPERTY WAS LEASED TO JOHN ETCHART, JR., WHO MINED AN ADD-ITIONAL 2800 TONS OF LOW-GRADE ORE FROM AN OPEN PIT ON THE WES-T TACTITE BODY. LOTS OF DRILLING DONE- LATE 1950'S- EARLY 1960-'S

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS M232750

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    WILLDEN, R., 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEV; NEV. BUREAU OF MINES BULL. 59.

  • Deposit

    HOTZ, P.E., AND WILLDEN, R., 1964, GEOLOGY AND MINERAL DEPOSITS OF THE OSGOOD MOUNTAINS QUADRANGLE HUMBOLDT CO., NEV; U.S.G.S. PROF. PAPER 431.

  • Deposit

    HOBBS, S.W. AND CLABAUTH, S.E., 1946, TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF THE OSGOOD RANGE, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, NEV. UNIV. NEV. BULL. VOL. 40, NO. 5; GEOL. & MIN. SER. NO. 44.

  • Deposit

    HESS, F.L. AND LARSEN, E.S., 1921, CONTACT-METAMORPHIC TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF THE UNITED STATES: U.S.G.S. BULL. 725-D

  • Deposit

    TINGLEY, J. V., 6 SEP 84, NBMG FIELD EXAMINATION AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS

  • Deposit

    STAGER, H. K., IN PREPARATION, NBMG BULL. ON TUNGSTEN DEPOSITS OF NEVADA.

  • Deposit

    NBMG MINING DISTRICT FILE 136, ITEM 25, 1963, USBM UNPUBLISHED DATA.

  • Production

    HOTZ, P.E. & WILLDEN, R., 1964

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit THE DEPOSIT IS AT THE NW END OF THE N LOBE OF THE OSGOOD GRANODIORITE, WHERE GRANODIORITE CUTS ACROSS LIMESTONE BE-DS WITH AN OUTCROP WIDTH OF 900 FT. THE LIMESTONE IS BORDERED -BY MUCH THICKER UNITS OF ARGILLITE AND SOME OF THE BEDS WITHIN- THE LIMESTONE ARE ARGILLACEOUS. TACTITE BODY FORMS AN EXTENSI-VE OUTCROP. BEDS ARE SOMEWHAT CONTORTED NEAR THE ALMOST VERTIC-AL GRANODIORITE CONTACT. TACTITE OCCURS ALONG THE CONTACT IN T-WO BODIES, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF A SMALL ALLUVIATED GULCH. THE T-WO BODIES MAY BE CONNECTED BENEATH THE VALLEY BOTTOM. THE ORIG-INAL (LOUISA) DISCOVERY CONSISTS OF A SECTION OF TACTITE WHICH- CONTAINS BASE METAL SULFIDES, VUGS WITH LARGE EUHEDRAL QUARTZ- CRYSTALS. RICHMOND MINE TACTITE IS CHARACTERIZED BY A LARGE A-MOUNT OF QUARTZ, ASSOCIATED WITH EPIDOTE AND GARNET AND AS LAR-GE CRYSTALS (UP TO ONE FOOT LONG) IN VUGS AT THE CONTACT. SOME- OF THE SCHEELITE IS REPORTED TO CONTAIN APPRECIABLE AMOUNTS O-F LEAD TUNGSTATE IN ISOMORPHOUS COMBINATION WITH SCHEELITE. TH-E
Deposit EAST TACTITE BODY, 210 FT BY 35 FT WIDE AT SURFACE SUPPLIED -MOST OF THE ORE MINED FROM THE PROPERTY. THE WEST TACTITE BODY- IS LARGER BUT THE TUNGSTEN CONTENT IS LOWER AND MORE ERRATIC -THAN THE EAST. THREE SMALL AREAS OF TACTITE THAT APPROACHED OR-E GRADE WERE FOUND BY SURFACE SAMPLING, BUT NO LARGE ORE BLOCK-S THAT COULD BE MINED ECONOMICALLY WERE INDICATED. ORE MINED F-ROM THIS OREBODY IN 1954 AVERAGED ONLY ABOUT 0.2 % WO3.
Deposit OPERATED AS A SILVER PROPERTY IN THE EARLY DAYS. MORE THAN 31,500 TONS TACTITE ORE WERE MINED BY OPEN PIT AND UNDERGROUND METHODS FROM 1942-1943. WEST TACTITE OREBODY WAS MINED BY OPEN PIT IN 1954. THE SILVER ORE WAS MINED FROM UNDERGROUND WORKINGS EXISTED IN 1917 WHEN THE PROPERTY WAS ABANDONED DUE TO A LACK OF ORE IN A TUNNEL DRIVEN TO INTERSECT THE IGNEOUS CONTACT. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT; 2 UNPUB REPT; 3 FIELD OBSERV

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAR-1986 La Pointe, D.D. (Tingley, J.V.) Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Updater 01-OCT-1992 Unknown U.S. Geological Survey